Take Back Alberta facing collection notice as it appeals $112K in Elections Alberta fines
Court scheduling is underway to hear an appeal from activist group Take Back Alberta (TBA) as it seeks to overturn $112,500 in fines for election advertising violations that have since been referred to Crown debt collection.
The fines were imposed last February on TBA and its founder David Parker by Elections Alberta for what it describes as 'numerous substantive breaches' of the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act, including TBA's absence of financial reporting, circumventing advertising spending limits, and accepting money from outside the province.
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Winnipeg Free Press
5 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Man who caused fatal crash gets 4 years in prison
His voice choking with emotion, Matthew Mason struggled to get his words out as he stood up in a Winnipeg courtroom to face the family of the woman who was killed in a car crash that he had caused. Mason, 43, pleaded guilty to one count of dangerous driving causing death for an August 2023 collision that took the life of 50-year-old Lisa Bland. On Monday, he was sentenced to four years in prison. 'I know you guys look at me like I'm a monster,' Mason said through tears. 'I know nothing is going to bring her back… I ruined a couple of families,' Mason said. THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES/John Woods Matthew Mason, 43, was sentenced to four years in prison on Monday for causing the August 2023 collision that took the life of 50-year-old Lisa Bland. Still reeling with their own grief, Bland's family responded with compassion and forgiveness. 'We don't think you are a monster,' said Bland's daughter Suzanne, seated with several family members in the court gallery. 'But I'm going to go home. She's never coming home,' Mason said. Mason was originally charged with an additional count of impaired driving causing death. The charge was later stayed by the Crown. The fatal collision took place on Matheson Island, about 150 kilometres north of Gimli. Court heard Mason was behind the wheel of a 2018 GMC Sierra, while Bland was in the front passenger seat. He was driving on a two-lane gravel road around 5 p.m. when he came up behind another vehicle at an intersection that was waiting to turn left. 'Rather than wait, the accused went into the left-side ditch to pass the vehicle,' Crown attorney Thomas Boult told provincial court Judge Don Slough, reading from an agreed statement of facts. Mason didn't brake as he drove nearly 500 metres, crashing into a tree and a concrete planter before ramming into a metal fence outside a cemetery. 'The top rail of the metal fence entered the vehicle and cut off the top half of Lisa Bland's head,' Boult said, eliciting a pained cry from one of her family members in the court gallery. A police officer who was called to the crash site said it was 'one of the most horrific scenes' he had ever responded to and that it had a 'significant impact' on his mental health, Boult said. 'To this day he can't be around people who drink alcohol because it brings back memories of what happened,' he said. Court did not hear how Mason and Bland knew each other or how they came to be together in the vehicle. Police at the scene said Mason smelled of alcohol, 'but did not otherwise show any signs of impairment,' Boult said. Mason told police: 'If you give me your gun, I will kill myself,' and insisted he had consumed only two drinks and was not drunk. Mason initially agreed to give a breath sample but became belligerent with officers and deliberately thwarted early attempts to provide a sample. A breath sample provided more than six hours later estimated his blood-alcohol level at the time of the crash to be .09, just over the legal limit for driving. Mason had a criminal record at the time of the crash, including convictions for assault and drug offences, but had remained out of trouble with the law since 2016. Mason had been working as a fisherman's helper and moving his life in a positive direction, said defence lawyer Manny Bhangu. 'Not a day goes by that he doesn't wake up thinking about (the crash), that he doesn't have a nightmare about it,' he said. 'He knows what he has done is absolutely horrible.' Family members described Bland as a strong, caring woman who held her family together during times of tragedy. 'With everyone, I will slowly heal, let go and forgive,' Suzanne Bland wrote in a victim impact statement read out in court. 'If I could do anything right now, it would be sitting with you, having coffee, talking, laughing,' she said. 'Our cackles, I can still hear them.' Mitchell Bland, Lisa's son, applauded Mason for addressing his family and taking responsibility for what he had done. 'Respect to you for saying something, it takes a lot of guts to say that,' he said. Mitchell said his mother stepped in to care for his young son after the boy's younger brother was fatally mauled by a dog and Mitchell was in jail. Wednesdays Sent weekly from the heart of Turtle Island, an exploration of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences. 'She held us all together,' he said. 'In the time she cared (for my son), he changed completely. (He) was mute, but started expressing himself. He talks a bit now. He cared for his grandma a lot. I don't know how he is coping with losing her.' Slough described Mason's driving as 'incomprehensible' and said he 'completely accept(ed)' Mason was remorseful. 'I appreciate the generosity of the (Bland) family in dealing with this in the way they have — having a sense of loss, but not a sense of vengeance,' Slough said. 'I wish I could say something to make it better, but I can't.' At the end of the hearing, several of Mason's family members approached Bland's family and shared words and hugs before filing out of court. Dean PritchardCourts reporter Dean Pritchard is courts reporter for the Free Press. He has covered the justice system since 1999, working for the Brandon Sun and Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 2019. Read more about Dean. Every piece of reporting Dean produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Global News
11 hours ago
- Global News
Ex-B.C. teacher deserves double-digit sentence for sexually abusing students: Crown
An 85-year-old former North Vancouver school teacher should receive a double-digit sentence in federal prison for sexually abusing students decades ago, Crown prosecutors have argued. Brian Moore was convicted on nine sex-related charges, including indecent assault, sexual touching and sexual assault, in April. He had originally been facing a dozen charges. The court heard the historic assaults involved 11- and 12-year-old boys, mostly while he was working as a teacher at Upper Lynn Valley Elementary between 1970 and 1982. 1:24 Retired North Vancouver elementary teacher faces sexual offence charges On Wednesday, Crown prosecutor Eleasha Sabourin said Moore's actions were calculated and premeditated. Story continues below advertisement 'Mr. Moore's conduct was planned and practiced. It was the same conduct over and over again,' she told the court. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy At trial, the court heard how Moore set up situations during class trips that would allow him to sexually touch his victims. Former students testified that Moore would insist they be naked during certain activities and would sexually assault them in bed. Moore's defence is arguing for a conditional sentence, to be served in the community, of two years less a day. One victim who agreed to be identified says a prison sentence isn't necessarily what he's looking for. 'He's an 85-year-old guy. He's fairly decrepit, in a wheelchair, walking with two canes so the idea that he needs to be put in jail I'm kind of past that, personally,' Dennis Cooper said outside the North Vancouver Provincial Court. 'So the day I testified and held him accountable, and (the day) he was charged was more of an impactful moment to make sure that he wasn't able to just wander into the night quietly.' The judge is expected to deliver his sentence in August.
Calgary Herald
13 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
Calgary will be the headquarters for Independent Agency Police Service in Alberta
Alberta announced the creation of a new provincial police task force on Wednesday, with Calgary as its headquarters. Article content The police service follows legislation passed in the spring that allowed for the birth of a new agency, called the Independent Agency Police Service, overseen by a board of civilians, and a Crown corporation, both of which would operate at 'arm's length' of the government. Article content Article content Article content 'The IAPS will be able to provide targeted support, working closely with police services and municipal and First Nations leaders to identify where additional resources are needed,' Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis said at a news conference on Wednesday. Article content The province also named former deputy Calgary police chief Sat Parhar, who has spent more than 25 years as a police officer, as the head of the agency. Article content Article content 'It's an honour to take on this role and help shape a modern police service built for Alberta,' Parhar said. Article content 'My focus from Day 1 will be on setting high standards for professionalism, building strong relationships with our partners and ensuring this service reflects the needs and priorities of the communities we serve.' Article content Article content The province hasn't provided an exact timeline or cost of starting and operating the new service. 'There is a labour component of this that we're going to be working out,' Ellis said. Article content The province will draw police officers from Alberta Sheriffs, which currently performs a few policing responsibilities but doesn't have a civilian oversight board. Article content The fate of the approximately 1,200 sheriffs hired by Alberta hangs in the balance, as the province has previously indicated that it plans to hire 600 sheriffs for the new police force, and dedicate the money that is set for the agency to operating the latest service. Article content The new force will not replace the RCMP, Ellis said, but will work alongside the federal agency to provide more options to municipalities, some of which have complained about longer wait times and rising costs of contracting with the federal police service.
